Solo Peakbagging %s

[Mike P.]

Solo, R U NUTS

Seriously now, the 48th peak will be a mix of prestige & stubborness, probably will have people who want to go & help celebrate & I'll have to tell them no but you can buy the first round back at _ _ _ _ _ (insert your favorite pub here)

When did I start heading out solo? Before cell phones were truely portable & the Saturday AM plans made during the week were to meet at a commuter lot between our houses & no one shows up. Your choices are continue solo & stick to your plans or drive home all p!$$ed off at your friends ruining your day. Now my schedule is so screwy, I pick days, try & get a few people & if they can't make it. no big deal.

Now I'm working on several variations on a few lists, done the 48 in Spring & Fall, have done them all in either winter or summer so I have about 8 left in winter & 10 in summer. have done New England 4's & have 11 left in ADK's for the 115 but I can't get the car turned NW often enough to finish them.

About 1/2 of my winter hikes are solo including to date, S.Twin, Carter Dome, Washington & Isolation

I've got 4 left for the solo 48 (Tripyramids, Zealand & Moriah where I finished New Englad & NH the first time) I just asked someone to hike the Tri's & he can't make it before I saw there are on the solo list. Must be fate, heading there Saturday. I'd ask you all to go but I can't!

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

Not sure about prestige, but hiking solo must be more dangerous than hiking in a group if you believe everything that you read on the "mountain lions return to New England" thread.

 

[Mike P.]

Not sure about prestige, but hiking solo must be more dangerous than hiking in a group if you believe everything that you read on the "mountain lions return to New England" thread.

Depends if your bigger, have more hair & smell worse than the Mountain Lions! I do have problems with the scavengers though (that should help me finish the solo 48 )

 

[Click Clack]

How about hitch hiking?

I did a Garfield to N Twin traverse this winter and hitch hiked from the end of Haystack Rd to 5 corners. At no point did I even think of considering it as a non-solo hike.

Just to throw my thoughts into the mix, solo for me consists of: not making plans with anyone prior, driving yourself to and from the trailhead by yourself (how you get from the peaks and back to the car is a different story so long as you comply with the winter road walk rules) I'd say meeting up with someone along the way and hiking even a few miles with them is still solo, more than half the journey is solo and it counts for me.

That's the glory of solo hiking, there are no rules, just go at your own pace, do what you want, crank that ipod and enjoy the walk. I like hiking in groups of good people, but there's something to be said for being able to turn a Twins hike into a Twins Zealand Hale hike just for the heck of it when you hit S Twin.

 

[Dr. Dasypodidae]

How about hitch hiking?

I did a Garfield to N Twin traverse this winter and hitch hiked from the end of Haystack Rd to 5 corners. At no point did I even think of considering it as a non-solo hike.

Just to throw my thoughts into the mix, solo for me consists of: not making plans with anyone prior, driving yourself to and from the trailhead by yourself (how you get from the peaks and back to the car is a different story so long as you comply with the winter road walk rules) I'd say meeting up with someone along the way and hiking even a few miles with them is still solo, more than half the journey is solo and it counts for me.

That's the glory of solo hiking, there are no rules, just go at your own pace, do what you want, crank that ipod and enjoy the walk. I like hiking in groups of good people, but there's something to be said for being able to turn a Twins hike into a Twins Zealand Hale hike just for the heck of it when you hit S Twin.

Yes, but there are also "solo unassisted" hikes, which are the most prestigious, and dangerous if there are mountain lions nearby, as you would not be allowed to hide in a car.

 

[Grayjay]

What is considered more dangerous, the possibility of getting injured or the unlikelyhood of a quick rescue? I think I am more accident prone when walking and talking in a group.

 

[ALGonquin Bob]

That's the glory of solo hiking, there are no rules, just go at your own pace, do what you want, crank that ipod and enjoy the walk. I like hiking in groups of good people, but there's something to be said for being able to turn a Twins hike into a Twins Zealand Hale hike just for the heck of it when you hit S Twin.

I'm with you on most of that, except for the ipod part.

 

[Chip]

What is considered more dangerous, the possibility of getting injured or the unlikelyhood of a quick rescue? I think I am more accident prone when walking and talking in a group.

IMHO, the thing that makes solos, especially in winter, more dangerous is the unlikelyhood of a quick rescue. There may be fewer injuries when solo as you are at your own pace and may be more focused. Hard tellin', not knowin'. Some poor kid just died falling off a cliff in CA. He was hiking on a trail with his family and talking or texting on his cell, was distracted and went over. Too bad.

 

[Elizabeth]

What is considered more dangerous, the possibility of getting injured or the unlikelyhood of a quick rescue? I think I am more accident prone when walking and talking in a group.

I agree - I am both more likely to get injured hiking with a group, and also more prone to hypothermia (which I consider the biggest hiking danger). Even hiking alone, in the colder parts of the year it is challenging to maintain a pace that keeps the body temperature high enough to be comfortable, without causing sweat that will chill later. Having to hurry to keep up (sweating), to postpone changing clothing layers (freezing or sweating), or to stop and wait around for people (freezing) makes it almost impossible - for me, at least.

And a question: Is there a Super-Solo level if you are both hiking alone and do not see any other hikers on the trail? I had a few excellent hikes this past winter/early spring where it was just me and the dogs all day. (Though maybe those don't count as Super-Solo since the dogs provide a potential buffer against hypothermia and the snow was tracked-out.)

 

[TCD]

I go "super solo" all the time in the summer. I agree with the above assessments. I'm more likely to get hurt (traumatic injury) when I'm with others; I think you're more methodical when you're alone. The ONLY thing that's a concern is dying due to being stuck in one place overnight. So I only "super solo in the summer, when all I need to survive the night is a little water and a space blanket. And I leave details as to where I'm going, and instructions not to call until the next morning. When it gets to the point in the Fall where I would have to carry heavy stuff to survive the night (bag, tent, stove), I stop soloing.

Most of my summer hikes are bushwhacks. Accordingly, I typically see no one at all from beginning to end. Sometimes, I'll get a surprise when I find litter in some of these places (just a bit of a wrapper, a beer can, whatever). But most of the time, the woods are clean, becasue no one ever goes to these places. The items I find the most often are mylar party balloons that have flown there from wherever. We joke that the trip isn't complete unless I find a balloon. On Sunday's trip I found a balloon that said "Over the Hill!"

TCD